Books Spring Novels & Stories

The shop owner, a kind-looking elderly man, adjusted his reading glasses and helped her compare colors. “This imported lace would work well for repairing a wedding dress.” He nudged his glasses up his nose Wendy’s fingertips traced the delicate patterns when she suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind her. “Wendy!” She turned around to see Austin jogging toward her with a stack of books in his arms. He stopped in front of her, slightly out of breath. “I asked a friend to bring the bridal design references you wanted over.” She took the books from him. It was the latest issue of International Wedding Gown Design and several professional manuals.

Lucy. Ashbourne Heights, Springfield, Massachusetts. Tuesday, 24th March. Next day. Late Evening. Crying hurts. Gosh, it hurts so much. It's like my lungs want to explode. And each time, I'm begging them, just hold on a little longer. Just breathe.

Chapter 19: The Council of Stone and Shadow The Hold, built for defense, not diplomacy, transformed into a theater of power. The great hall, once a shadowy cavern, now blazed with torchlight. The clan banners were displayed with pride beside the royal standard. The air was thick with conflicting scents: beeswax polish, roasting meat, the metallic tang of nervous sweat, and the ever-present, cold breath of the mountain.

He probably thought that nine hundred dollars was a fortune to me, that I would be grateful. … Some faint rustling behind me told me that Ryan was standing there. I did not even have to turn around. I could feel the warmth of his freshly showered skin radiating against my back. I locked my phone screen, only to catch his reflection on the dark surface. He was bare-chested. He reached out and casually adjusted the collar of my shirt with an almost deliberate patience. “Soph, there’s something I want to tell you.” He only ever called me by my nickname when he was trying to coax me.

I was sick of arguing with them. Belinay grabbed me by the arm and snatched the urn from me in an instant. A warning bell went off in my head. I held out my hand and shouted, “Give it back to me! Give me back the ashes!” Belinay pushed me away. Her eyes were filled with disappointment. When she bent down to open the jar, she discovered the seal was completely unbreakable. Hubert’s friend snorted coldly. “If you can’t open it, then smash it! Let’s see what’s inside!”

Olivia had spent the past few years at Ethan’s side, gentle and attentive. She took good care of the child and obeyed Ethan in everything. A woman like that seemed incapable of doing something so cruel. “This is ridiculous.” Ethan let out an icy snort and tossed the letter onto the desk. For some reason, the words in that letter clung to him like a thorn buried under his skin. He could not ignore them. Olivia had returned at the exact moment his company began to recover.